Recently, a need has been recognized for a type of portable fence that can be set up relatively quickly and “locked” in place so as to be difficult to remove without a tool, yet still can be dismantled relatively quickly. Such a fence may be used, for example, at a construction site or around a pool wherein the fence can be prevented from being removed simply by lifting the fence poles out of the ground, yet can be removed easily with a tool, such as a screw driver.
For example, a swimming pool fence exists that is difficult for a small child to climb and is weather resistant, yet may be removed for uninterrupted use of the swimming pool. These fences employ a number of rigid or slightly flexible poles of steel, aluminum or fiberglass which are set in holes in a pool decking approximately two feet from the edge of the pool. The poles are located at approximately a 30-36 inch spacing.
Tensioned between the poles is a mesh screen having a binding top and bottom and sufficient tensile strength so that a person cannot easily enlarge the mesh openings to force a way through the fence. Further, there are no footholds or handholds for a child to climb the fence. The bound upper edge of the fence prevents fraying of the mesh, but does not provide a handhold or sufficient rigidity to aid a child to climb over the fence, even if the child can reach to the top of the fence. The instability of the top binding acts as a deterrent for the child even if he or she is able to reach the top of the fence.
The fence may be opened to allow swimmers to enter and leave the pool area by unlatching a section which acts as a gate, usually with a spring-loaded hook and eye fastener and then by lifting one pole out of its deck socket. The pole must be reinserted and the latch hooked for each entry and departure from the pool area. More elaborate gates have also been developed.
When the pool is used without the fence, each of the poles may be pulled in sequence from their socket and the fabric fencing material and poles are rolled to form a compact structure. Reassembly of the fence starts by inserting the first pole, hooking it to a rigid structure and extending each pole in the section in sequence to another rigid structure or back to the original pole to complete a closed circuit. Each section is then tensioned with a fastener connecting each fence section to the next section.
Recently, fences have been developed that allow the fence poles to be removably locked into a socket inserted into a pool deck hole. The locking feature allows the fence poles to be more securely maintained in the pool deck while still allowing the poles to be easily removed. On a conventional lockable fence, a release button is provided on the fence poles to allow a user to disengage the lock from the pole socket by merely pressing the button. Thus, ease and convenience of removal has been valued over security, and such fences are still considered removable and not “permanent.” To be considered a “permanent” fence, building codes require that a tool be necessary to disassemble the fence. A permanent fence structure exists that includes a lock having a “release button” characteristic that can be screwed into a fence pole to prevent the fence from being removed from the ground or from a socket and unscrewed to act as a release button, allowing the fence to be removed. Such a fence is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,334,957 to Sadinsky.